Chair.



IVI. KRAUSE.

CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED FEB- n Ian.

Patented May 21,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

IVI. KRAUSE.

CHAIR.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. 1917.

Lfifififiglw 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fiame Patented May 21,1918.

M. KRAUSE.

CHAIR.

APPLICATiON FILED FEB. 17 9X7- 1 91 u Patented May 21,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MAX KRAUSE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented May 21, 191.8.

Application filed February 17, 1917. Serial N 0. 149,170.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MAX KRAUSE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to furniture and has i for itsprimary object the provision of .an

improved chair which shall be extensible into a lounge. A further object of my invention is the provision of improved means whereby the back of the chair'm'ay normally be supported at an angle to the seat thereof. A further object of my invention is the provision of folding legs for the support of the seat and foot piece of the chair when the same are extended, together with means operating automatically to operatively position the legs when the seat and foot piece are extended and to retract them into folded position automatically when the seat and foot :piece are folded. A further object of my intion; I Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing 1 the initial movements of parts in the extenvention is the provision of means for guiding the extending and folding movement of the back, seat and footpiece. A still further object is the provision of an adjustable back for the chair comprising all-shaped y support. and means in conjunction with said support for quickly lowering the adjustable back to normal position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved article of furniture with a section of i the frame and one supporting lever broken away for the sake of clearness,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the inven- K of my invention with one side of the back frame sectioned away to disclose parts within and illustrating also in dotted lines an adjusted position of the back panel;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7 illustrating in enlarged detail the parts shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the lower end of aback supporting projection shown in side elevation in Figs. 1, 3 and 4E.

The invention comprises a frame generally indicated by reference numeral 11 which is substantially in the form of a box open at the front and the top. Mounted in this frame are a back 12 comprising a back frame 13 and a back panel 14, a seat 15 hinged to the back as at 16 in substantially the plane of the upper surface of the seat, and afoot piece 17 hinged as at 18 to the seat in substantially the plane of the lower surface of the seat. At opposite sides of the frame tracks 19 are secured and the seat is provided with depending laterally extending roller bearing supports 21 at its rear end which travel in these tracks. At the forward end of the back a similar pair of roller bearing supports 22 are positioned for engagement with and travel upon the track during the extension of the chair. In normal position the foot piece 17, which is substantially the same size as the seat 15, is

. folded under the seat and rests upon the lower reach of the frame, as seen in Fig. 1, while the back is held at an angle to the seat by means of the stud 23 which projects from the rear end of the folded foot piece, and a projection 24: rigidly secured to and extending from the back 12. The lower end of this projection is illustrated in plan view in Fig. 10, wherein it will be seen that the projection is provided with a slot 25 for removable engagement with the stud 23. The engagement between the back frame 13 and the upper rear edge of the main frame 11 also assists the projection 24 and stud 23 in supporting the back at an angle to the seat.

A pair of supporting and guiding levers 26 are mounted near their lower ends on pivots 27 positioned near the bottom and back of the frame 11. The levers 26 may comprise a U-member extending across the chair from side to side, if desired. The upper ends of the levers 26 are pivoted as at 28 to the back frame 13 at substantially the longitudinal center thereof, and a tension spring 29 fastened at one end as at 31 to the forward part of the frame 11, is secured at I thereby assistingthe projection 24 and the back "11in maintaining the back 12 at a comfortable angle to the seat 15.

In extending the chair into a bed the operator-lifts the seat and footpiece and-draws them forward from the'position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 2,- the rollers 21 making the first 1 part ofthismovementeasy, and therollers 22 subsequentlyengaging the tracks-and rendering the last part ofthis'movement easy. The operator next disengages projection 24 from stud 23 and extends the back seat and foot piece into the alined position shown inFig. 4. The'forward -movement of=thesepartsis guided by the action'of the supporting and guiding levers 26 which function to accurately position the back-1n horizontal position and at rest =upon the tracks 19, the-wheels 22 inthe horizontal I 33 formed in the forward ends of the tracks. 19 (see Figs. 5 and 6)the rearwardend of the back 12 being upheld by any suitable naeans, such, for instance, as a support 34 protruding-from the bottom of the frame 11.

- supports for use in-the extendedposition of A the position of the back-engaging depressions On each side the chair is provided with parts. These comprise supporting legs 35-and 36 pivoted-as at 37-and 38 insubstantially the same horizontal plane to the seat 15 and foot piece 17, respectively, the

1 leg 36 extending somewhat above the pivot 38. A strong tension spring-39 is secured by one end aS at 41 to the upper end of leg36 and by theother end to a stud 42 protruding from leg 35 somewhat below pivot 37. From stud 42 a relatively weak tension-spring 43 ner surface of the frame of seat 15 at a point rearwardly 0f the pivot 37, and a similar relatively weak spring 45 is. fastened at its forward end to the forward of the seat 15and foot piece 17 (see Fig. 1)

the strong spring 39 is relaxed, thereby per- .mitting the Weak sprlngs 43; and 45 to draw and automatically drawing thenlegs 35 and legs 35 and 36 into the position illustrated in Fig. 1,:where they lie within theframe boxes of the seat and' footpieee, respectively. When the .chair is extended as in Fig. 4,- howevelg'the alinement ofthe seat and foot' pieee bringsthe spring 39 into tension, overcomlng the tension of sprlngs 43 and 45 36 into'the. vertical supportingposition there illustrated.

.Positioned at the-rear. :end of the back frame 13 and at oppositesides thereof are two rack bars 47 having upstanding teeth 48 for engagement by a U-shaped back panel support 49 which has its ends pivoted as at 51 to opposite sides of the back panel 14 near the longitudinal center of the panel.

The panel is hinged to the back frame 13 I as at 52 and may b elevated from the back frame 13, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 4, 8 and 9. As many elevated positions of the panel 14- may be secured asthere are teeth 48 in the rack bars 47. Centrally -1nounted in the bottom of the back frame 13 and extending longitudinally thereof (preferably integral with projection 24) is a slide bar 53 which supports a movable carrier 54, preferably mounted on rollers 55, and provided in its upper surface with a notch 56, the bottom of which clears the tops of the teeth 48. A stop 57 provided with a set-screw 58 limits the forward movement of carrier 54, nd permits the carrier to travel slightly forward of the. foremost tooth 48. WVhen it is desired to lower the back panel into the full line position of Figs. 8 and 9 theoperator lifts the panel so far that the horizontal reach of the U-shaped support 49 rises and drops into thenoteh 56 of carrier 54; he then. allows the'back to drop, whereupon the carrier 54will convey thehorizontal reach 59 of theU-shaped sup- :port back to the rear of the teeth 48. In

this manner the panel .14 may be very quickly lowered .without the necessity of inserting ra hand into the back framebelow the descending panel toudisengage the support from the teeth.

tion with a frame, of a back, a seat hinged to the back, a foot piece hingedto the seat and foldable under. the same, tracks in the *frame, and supports for the back and seat 1 extends to a stud 44 protruding'from the intion with a frame, of aback, a seat hinged to the back, a foot piece hinged to the seat and foldable under thesame,a projection on the back, and astud on the foot piece interengaged with the projeotionwherebythe back is normally held at an angle to the seat and foot piece.

In an article of furniture the combination with a frame, of a back,a seat hinged to the back, a foot piece hinged to'the seat and foldable underthe same, side'supportmg levers each pivoted near its lower end to theframe and at its upper end'to said back, and a tension spring fixed atone end to the frame forwardly of said lower pivot and having its opposite end fastened to the lower end of one of said levers,

'4. In an article of furniture the combination with a frame, of a back,-a seat hinged to the back, a foot piece hinged tothe seat and foldable under the same, tracks in the frame, supports for the back and seat positioned to travel on said tracks, supporting legs pivoted at opposite sides of sand seat, similar legs pivoted at the opposite sides of said foot piece, resilient elements positioned to extend said legs downwardly when the seat and foot piece are alined, and resilient members positioned to aline the legs respectively with the seat and foot piece when the latter is folded under the seat.

5. In an article of furniture the combination with a frame, of a back, a seat hinged to the back, a foot piece hinged to the seat and foldable under the same, tracks in the frame, supports for the back and seat positioned to travel on said tracks, supporting legs pivoted at opposite sides of said seat, similar legs pivoted at the opposite sides of said foot piece, a strong tension spring tensed between the two legs of one side of the article, joined to one of said legs above the pivotal point and to the other leg below its pivotal point; and two relatively and one fastened by one end to the foot piece and b the opposite end to the foot piece leg an opposing said strong spring.

6. In an article of furniture the combination of a seat, a foot piece hinged to the foot piece to fold thereunder, a leg pivoted at the side of the seat, a leg pivoted at the cor responding side of the foot piece, a strong tension spring secured at one end to one of said legs below its pivot and to the other leg above its pivot, a relatively weak tension spring fastened at one end to the seat and at the other end to the seat leg to oppose said strong spring, and a similar weak tension spring fastened at one end to the foot piece and at the other end to the foot piece leg to op ose said strong spring.

n testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

MAX KRAUSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U. 

